Wildcats host inspiration filled leadership conference
The Oshkosh West Student Council kicked off its first hosted state conference in 30 years in Madison on April 6-7 with over 700 students from all six regions of the state.
Sophomore Shayli Hutto, who joined the 2025-2026 Region III Collaborative Leadership Council (CLC) as secretary, was excited for the opportunity.
“Ever since I went to WASC [Wisconsin Association of School Councils] Summer Camp, it’s been my dream to run and even if I just got secretary, which I did, I still placed,” she said.
Planning an event as large as this was no small feat, starting an entire year in advance, according to Kim Kargus-Myers, now in her fifth year as the Region III Advisor.
“We are responsible for choosing an overall theme and finding decorations and ways to incorporate that theme into the conference,” she said. “We were also responsible for finding breakout speakers for the many sessions on both Sunday and Monday and for coordinating the evening entertainment and service project.”
The group successfully created almost a thousand take home bags for the Ronald McDonald House, filling the bags with essentials such as ramen, Goldfish, fruit snacks, water, and other goodies like lip balm and fidget toys for the kids. Aside from a successful service project, West members were able to boast gold ratings in all but one competition category, which still earned a silver rating.
One of these competitors was junior Meredith Stellpflug in the Creative Marketing category.
“I felt a little nervous going into it, but I was really happy to share my ideas and our school’s ideas with others,” she said.
Along with competitions, laser tag, dance, and many great speakers were featured as well, including a keynote speaker, Coach VJ, who is an author, mental coach, and former professional women's basketball player. Junior Maddalyn Meartz appreciated Coach VJ’s inspiring words.
“Something from Coach VJ’s speech that really stood out to me was when she said that if you practice for just 18 minutes a day then you will be better than 95% of people,” she said.
Meartz wasn’t the only one inspired by Coach VJ’s so-called “Blueprint for Confidence.” Freshman Anaiya Stephens hopes to keep her words in mind when things go wrong.
“Coach VJ said it’s easy to get frustrated at ourselves and if we mess up, to be embarrassed and have poisonous thoughts,” she said. “I want to take her words and use them in sports so whenever I miss a hit or don’t get that base. I would use those words and think, ‘It’s okay to take a step back and focus on the next one because nobody is perfect’.”
If a professional athlete can miss multiple layups, as Coach VJ explained, it’s okay to make mistakes in other areas of life. The important thing is to not let those mistakes affect your confidence. Stellpflug affirmed the power of Coach VJ’s words.
“My favorite quote from Coach VJ was, ‘It feels scary because it’s unfamiliar, not because you’re incapable’,” she said. “That really stuck with me because I struggle with perfectionism sometimes and tests make me super anxious, so that was a really impactful quote.”
Senior State Conference Co-Chair Nava Lomena shares the impact of this conference.
“It’s a good chance to see how we can benefit our school and society and to collaborate with other schools, meet new people, and listen to some very inspiring speakers,” she said.
Junior Areanna Williams, the KISS (Kids in Safe Spaces) breakout leader, took away some wisdom from the conference.
“I learned the importance of advocating and using my voice as a woman and especially as a colored woman,” she said. “I need to really stand up for myself and try to show people that it’s important to stand up for myself and fight for what I want.”
Senior Alex Fenske reflects on the excitement of attending the conference.
“I will definitely remember this state conference as one of the best things that I ever attended or helped out with in all of my years in student council,” he said.
A final piece of guidance came from Bjorn Berg, Executive Director of the WASC.
“One piece of advice I have for students is to raise your hand, ask the question, volunteer, try,” he said. “You’re going to fail. You’re going to learn new things. You won’t be good at it right away, but in the history of anything someone has worked at and gotten good at there’s been a history of things when they weren’t good at it.”
by Jorie Mugerauer
Published April 28th, 2025
Oshkosh West Index Volume 121 Issue VII